A South Korean appeals court sentenced former President Park Geun-hye to 25 years in jail Friday, the Yonhap news agency reported, in a case arising from a corruption scandal that toppled her from power in early 2017.

The Seoul High Court found Park guilty of charges including bribery, Yonhap reported.

A lower court jailed Park for 24 years in April, saying she colluded with her friend, Choi Soon-sil, to receive tens of billions of won from major conglomerates such as Samsung and Lotte to help Choi's family and fund nonprofit foundations owned by her.

Prosecutors had appealed against that ruling, seeking a tougher sentence.